DAY 3 - IN CAIRO — ET's Travels and Talks

SYNOPSIS: I arrived in Cairo - all is calm.

At 4 AM I turned on the TV to check on the news from Egypt. My wake-up call was not due until 5 AM and my shuttle left at 6 AM, but since midnight I had been looking at the clock hourly despite my sleeping pill and I figured I would be better off to do something.

Clashes between protesters and pro-Mubarak forces were just the continuation of the evening news from last night. But then I came across an interview with a teacher from the German school in Alexandria which shook me up: The man, his wife and 9 year old daughter had been living in Alexandria for many years. His home was located across the police station which was one of the first targets of protesters anywhere. Police, in contrast to the army are seen as enemies and corrupt. It was a bombed-out shell. His home, was in a street where first protesting, then looting and vandalizing was rampant. He was in the thick of it. Three young guys armed with a rifle, a baseball club and a kitchen knife were guarding his building. He had the misfortune to live on the most vulnerable first floor and had barricaded himself and his family in as much as possible. They feared for their lives. The embassy was of no help and it took him days to finally get out. He was visibly shaken up. As much as I could look at the news realizing how the focus was put on the same recurring scenes of violence centered around Tahrir Square in Cairo - his story was real and all of a sudden I felt totally stupid and guilty for going into Cairo where it had taken him so much to get out. I almost folded.

But then I took the 6 AM shuttle after all and headed for the airport. With 1.5 hours delay caused by the need for de-icing we took off in a Boeing 747 which can hold over 330 people. A week ago this flight was booked with less than 50 seats to spare. Yesterday, 35 passengers were still scheduled to go. Today, we were 18 passengers. 12 in economy class and 6 in business class with a staff of 13. We practically had a flight attendant to ourselves each. Bizarre.

The airport in Cairo had an empty feel. We were in the arrival wing. Pictures on the news show you the departure wing where things are obviously different. A few cleaning ladies scrubbed the bathrooms, way too many attendants were "hanging out" to check your luggage but then didn't. Even at the main entrance hall there was a strange sense of normalcy.

Getting a visa for Egypt is just about the easiest visa I have gotten anywhere. A guy at the currency exchange booth waved me over and asked if I had a visa yet - no. For $15 I was given a small piece of paper which I took to the pass control booth where it was glued into my passport. That's it. No long forms to fill out about who you are or what you want.

On the plane I had made the acquaintance of Esra, a young Egyptian woman who was traveling home to be with her family in this time of turmoil. I asked her to help me fetch a taxi and to make sure I was going off with an official person who would get me to the right place. A taxi manager hooked me up with a taxi, lots of paperwork was filled out and a price was agreed on - twice what I was quoted a week ago. I expected that much. And then we drove downtown. My hotel is downtown, even though about a mile away from Tahrir Square and believe me, a mile makes all the difference. Lots of cars were on the road. If it had not been for the tanks and soldiers hanging out at every intersection you would not have a clue of what was going on. As we passed into downtown area, we had to pass a blockade of citizens - a kind of a neighborhood watch, I guess - who checked every car going in for ammunition. They were not official. Neither police nor army. Just plain clothed young guys. I felt a bit strange to hand over my passport for inspection and to open my suitcase for him to inspect my clothes, shoes, and medicine. Strangely enough, my carry on filled with computer and camera equipment which was on the back seat was of no interest to him. We passed inspection.

People were on the streets; mostly men, but a few women. Stores seemed closed. On the way in we had passed one of the richest neighborhoods with 19th and early 20th Century villas. We even came by the villa of Mubarak - heavily guarded with tanks and army personnel. The downtown is dense and filled with 4-5 story buildings old and new. Narrow streets, lots of shops. From the air Cairo looked huge and monotonically beige filled seemingly with nothing but apartment blocks. From the ground up it had a bit more variation to it.

I asked my taxi driver Osama - he assured me that he was not like his name-sake - what he would want out of this uprising. He was satisfied with Mubarak's promise not to re-run in September. He thought the uprising should be over now and in a few months there could be real change at the scheduled election time. And then he told me what was really going on in Tahrir Square: The Israelis are paying people to stay and to create chaos! If I had not traveled so much in the Middle East and even talked to people of a certain conviction in the US, I would have been flabbergasted by this assertion. But no, I no longer am. Israel is the convenient culprit for just about anything going on and conspiracy theories such as this seem to be many people's past time from Beirut to Cairo to Teheran. He was serious. I hope the protesters in Tahrir Square who risk their lives for change and who, so I hope, believe in their hearts that they are doing a necessary and right thing - will not hear that some of their own countrymen consider them Israeli-paid traitors.

My hotel is in an old building and thankfully in the 4th floor. Tomorrow is Friday, and several people have indicated that they expect this to be a "big day", hopefully a turning point. I might have to stay put. Few people are on the road; several jet planes are crossing over us, regularly. Don't expect me to tell you anything about the riots. You can turn on the TV for that. They are a mile away and I will not go near them. But I will talk to people, see if I can venture out a bit before the curfew tomorrow and see what crosses my path.

There are 8 guests here at the hotel, mainly stranded foreigners. I assume, I will meet them later. The room is grungy, dark, and sparse. I share a bathroom - that is not what I was told if I remember correctly... But the staff is friendly. If any activities will be possible in or around town will have to be seen. But why I chose this hotel - it has free wifi access. And that is priceless as long as the internet is up and running. There have been a few hours of service again, I am told. On and off. I caught an "on spot" and will post now, so you have an update. If the "on" continues, you will get pictures later.

All is quiet. At least here, at least for now. ET